“What provision is being made within this metropolitan district for securing those public open spaces which the experience of all great cities has proved to be essential to the welfare of crowded populations?” Eliot wrote to Massachusetts Governor William Russell in December 1890.

Expanding its work in the City over the last decade—including the affiliation of the Boston Natural Areas Network (BNAN) in 2008, and then merger in 2014—The Trustees has become increasingly aware of the opportunities for positive change along the City’s waterfront and the critical issues that threaten Boston’s world-class reputation. The One Waterfront Initiative advances a bold vision for iconic, public open space on the Boston waterfront as a way to respond to these opportunities and challenges. The Trustees will draw on over a century of expertise in public open space management to deliver new signature destinations—for all to enjoy.